


The Karaoke Night

by last7



Category: Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: Drunken Shenanigans, F/M, Flirting, Fluff, Fluff and Crack, Fluff and Humor, Friendship, Gen, Karaoke, Post-Canon, Raleigh is a Dork
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-05
Updated: 2016-09-05
Packaged: 2018-08-13 04:43:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7962913
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/last7/pseuds/last7
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A chronicle of three hours, six songs, and the many ways in which Raleigh Becket is in love but clueless (or the tale in which Mako Mori is the ultimate winner of the night).</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Karaoke Night

**Author's Note:**

> I've linked the songs to their youtube videos so click on their titles as they come up in the story to hear them!

It all started during a lunch hour when they were quietly chewing their food that Tendo put down his fork and announced to the table at large that they should have a karaoke night. They were all working their asses off on the new restoration project and they deserved to let off some steam.

Leaning forward eagerly on his elbows, he lowered his voice conspiratorially, “And I happen to know a good place.”

Everyone stopped their various ingestive movements mid-action to look at him.

“You mean you want us to go out so I can butcher some of my favourite songs and force you guys to listen?” exclaimed Newt around a mouth full of red beans. “Man, I am so down! How can I pass that up?”

“Mr. Choi, are you sure this is a good idea?” Hermann made a face at the sight of half-masticated beans. “I have been personally subjected to the screeching that Newton passes for melody and I really do not recommend it.”

Raleigh had been trying to get Mako to reduce her workload lately and thought that a night out was a perfect distraction. He was worried about the hours she was devoting to the Crimson Typhoon restoration and her absence at the table (not the first time nor the tenth) was just one of many unhealthy habits she had picked up since Operation Pitfall. It had been a few months but she still frequently forgot to eat whilst she was working on the jaeger and Raleigh had taken to filling a tray in addition to his own to bring to her later.

Newt was about to open his mouth to retort but Raleigh cut in, “It’s a great idea, Tendo. When should we go?”

“Is tonight too short notice?” Tendo looked over at Herc, who was making his way steadily through a chicken pot pie. “Marshal?”

Raleigh was frankly surprised that the newly promoted man could afford to keep old habits and have his meals with them. It was true that he didn’t have as much pressure on his shoulders as Pentecost had but heading up a jaeger restoration was no mean feat. Raleigh was heartened by his continued presence nevertheless. Losing Chuck was hard on all of them, no less for Herc.

“Nothing too pressing that I can’t clear from my schedule, fellas. What?” he said, looking around the table at them. “I can’t let ya have all the fun around ‘ere, can I?”

Tendo had only meant to ask permission and Herc tagging along was unexpected but a welcome addition. The look on Tendo’s face confirmed Raleigh’s suspicions - the Marshal was something to behold once he had a few drinks in him.

“Tonight it is, boys,” Tendo stood up and snapped his suspenders with a glint in his eye. “Twenty thirty hours. I’ll send the address later. Don’t be late. And tell Mako!”

-

“Karaoke??” she said incredulously over her bowl of miso soup. “Whose bright idea was that?”

Amused at her wide-eyed expression, Raleigh gently bumped his shoulder against hers and teased, “Don’t think you can cut it in the ring with me?” He had once aimed the same words at Pentecost’s pride, goading the man into allowing Mako to fight him.

She narrowed her eyes at him.

“What is it?”

“I don’t think I’m any good at it.”

“Well, according to Hermann, Newt is practically tone deaf and he was the first to agree to come tonight,” laughed Raleigh. “I’m guessing your singing isn’t worse than Newt’s so I think you’re safe there. Oh yeah, it was Tendo’s ‘bright idea’. Apparently, he knows a place.”

Mako smiled at that.

“Still…” The prospect of singing in front of a bunch of other people was clearly mortifying to her.

“Hey,” he said quietly, pulling her into a side-hug. “You don’t have to sing if you don’t want to, you can just come along. I think it’ll be a good break from Typhoon. Anyway, I’m getting a little jealous,” he added good-naturedly.

Mako squirmed against him and dug a playful elbow into his ribs. “He _is_ less talkative.”

“Oh, is he now?” challenged Raleigh, stepping back and grabbing his side like she really did some damage. He arched an eyebrow at her. “I don’t think he’s as handsome as me though.”

She looked like she wanted nothing more than to wipe the smirk off his face but she was grinning as well and the beginning of a blush was creeping its way up her neck.

“Yeah, yeah, pretty boy,” she said mockingly and this time, she threw a real punch at his arm.

“So, you’re coming?”

“Yes, I will because you asked so nicely.”

She kissed the spot where she hit him as she walked out of the room with her empty tray and Raleigh looked after her with heat blooming in his arm. It was probably from her fist but the romantic in him liked to think it was her lips.

“Pick you up at eight!”

-

He had a little trouble tearing Mako away from her schematics but it was only eight forty-five when they arrived at the hole-in-wall karaoke bar.

“Makoooooo!”

“Good to see ya join us, Mako.”

“Miss Mori, I thought you would have had the good sense to steer clear of this place.”

“You’re late,” Tendo intoned the moment they entered.

“Yeah, well, I don’t just throw this together,” said Raleigh, waving a hand over himself like a host on an infomercial. He glanced over at Mako who was mediating a squabble between Newt and Hermann. Raleigh didn’t want to say that she was the real reason they came late but Tendo understood and let it go.

“Mate, you’re shoutin’ the first round of drinks, then,” said Herc solemnly from the lounge where he was browsing the song selection. “Put those good looks to use and chat up the bartender.”

“Only fair, Becket Boy,” grinned Tendo with a shrug of his shoulders.

“You guys are menaces,” Raleigh shouted back at them as he walked to the bar.

-

9:00 p.m.

“Shots shots shots shots!”

Raleigh thought it only proper to begin the night with tequila shots.

“Newton, for god’s sake, you know you can’t handle hard liquor. You’ll be passed out before too long and I’ll be forced to hold your hand whilst you are being sick into the u-bend of a toilet bowl.”

“That’s so kind of you,” said Newt as he handed Hermann the salt shaker and a wedge of lime. “But that won’t be necessary since I’m not the lightweight. Hermann is the one who picked a fight with a man twice his size after three drinks that one time. Don’t you remember, Hermann?”

“I would prefer not to disclose the events of that night, if you please,” spluttered Hermann and knocked back the alcohol, completely forgetting the order of salt, tequila, and lime.

“I want to hear this story,” said Mako eagerly and sat herself down on his other side.

“It really isn’t very interesting, I assure you, Miss Mori.”

“It happened at the first bar we went to,” began Newt with relish after he sucked on the lime wedge with a puckered face. “You see, I dragged him along to a bar crawl freshman year of college because he was being especially antisocial that weekend and I thought some fresh air would do him some good, but how was I supposed to know that he’s even more confrontational drunk than when he’s sober?”

“What type of drunk are you then, Newt?”

“Affectionate,” Hermann said simply, from between them.

Newt nodded matter-of-factly and was about to go on when Herc barked, “Right, as much as I wanna hear how Hermann got his arse handed to ‘im I think Tendo singin’ No Doubt will trump it.”

The unmistakable pulsing bassline of _[It’s My Life](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubvV498pyIM)_  filled the small room. Tendo kissed the cross of his rosary for luck and started - there was no other word for it - crooning.

“ _It’s funny how I find myself in love with you…_ ”

-

10:00 p.m.

Raleigh was doing a rather robotic twist; Mako was waving her arms spaghetti style; Herc was doing the Macarena; Hermann was hopping about from foot to foot; Newt was trying unsuccessfully to do the worm; and Tendo was giving the running man his all.

Someone had put on  _[Happy](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6Sxv-sUYtM)_  by Pharrell Williams and it had infected everyone with the dancing bug. A round of tequila shots and a large jug of sangria had clearly loosened inhibitions.

“Tendo, my man,” Raleigh panted when the song had finished. “You’re really showing your age or something. Your face is as red as a tomato.”

“I am in peak physical condition, thank you very much,” replied Tendo. He was bent double with his hands on his knees trying to catch his breath. “It’s just my East Asian ancestry showing itself.”

“Ah, you get it too!” said Mako. “Am I glowing yet?”

Tendo squinted at her face. “You’re a little pink, not much though. I love my family but they can take it back, frankly. You have no idea how it affected my dating game back in the day.”

“I’m sure you didn’t let it hinder you that much. Adapt or perish, right?” Raleigh gave Tendo a slap on the back.

“It’s so embarrassing,” moaned Mako with her hands over her cheeks. “This is why I avoid alcohol.”

“Let me see.” Before Raleigh knew what he was doing his hands had replaced Mako’s own. “Wow, you’re _warm_.”

“Raleigh, I know.”

“It’s like you have a fever. Are you sure you don’t have a fever?” he said, concerned. He put his lips to Mako’s forehead to check. He didn’t think anything of it, it was what his mother did to him, Yancy, and Jazmine whenever they had been sick.

“No, I’m fine, it’s just Asian Flush. I get it when I drink too much.”

His hands were still cupping her face. “Oh, okay…”

“Hey, hey, enough of this lovey-dovey stuff! Less schmoozing, more boozing!” Newt broke in loudly. “Hermann, go buy another round of something. And we need to get rid of this -” He waved his arms around Raleigh and Mako’s figures, “- sentiment, over here.”

“It appears that your blood alcohol content has not reached sufficient levels otherwise you would be cooing all over those two, not initiating… arm wrestles.”

Newt made shushing gestures at Hermann.

“I propose,” Newt paused for dramatic effect. “An arm wrestling competition!”

“For god’s sake,” said Hermann disapprovingly. He rolled his eyes and headed to the bar. Raleigh wondered if he had merely made a good guess or if it was the Drift at work.

“ _You_ are at least two drinks in, Hermann, I thought you would be the first to volunteer! You're being annoyingly inconsistent!”

“Nothin’ wrong with some friendly competition,” boomed Herc from across the room. Raleigh noted the volume of the man's voice was increasing as the night went on. “I'll take on Hermann when he gets back.”

“Oh ho, he’s gonna get his ass kicked again,” said Tendo.

“Perfect.” Newt rubbed his hands together gleefully. “But in the meantime, I think we can introduce some conflict to these two.”

Raleigh had stepped away from Mako and regained his head by this point but the heat from her face seemed like it had made its way through his hands and settled in his own cheeks. It wasn’t the first time he had come perilously close to kissing her and he hoped it wasn’t the last either. He couldn’t tell in the dim lighting if Mako’s flush had deepened but she was smiling so widely at the thought of arm wrestling with him that he couldn’t help but do so too.

They made a show of sizing each other up and she challenged, “You better step up or you’re going to get a beating like last time.”

“From what I remember, it was nearly a draw and you don’t have the advantage of tripping me over with my own weight this time.” Raleigh raised his arms and flexed his biceps. “It’s just you and these bad boys.”

“We’ll see about that.”

Whilst Raleigh and Mako put their elbows on the table and gripped hands, Tendo turned to Herc and said, “If Mako wins I get to pick the next song you sing.”

“You’re on, mate.”

“Best of three, guys,” instructed Newt. “Ready? Go!”

Mako was looking into Raleigh’s eyes with such intensity he missed Newt’s signal and promptly lost the first round in the moment it took her to slam his arm down so hard she made the empty glasses on the table clink noisily.

Her face gave nothing away but Raleigh thought he saw a shadow of a smirk. He flunked this one but he was determined to win the next two rounds.

“More concentration, son!” urged Herc, who looked like he was sitting ringside of a boxing match.

“You got this, Mako,” Tendo encouraged in a more measured tone than Herc. To Raleigh’s irritation he looked immensely confident.

Raleigh won the second round with some effort. Mako’s slight frame belied the strength she possessed. She wielded it with skill even in a trivial arm wrestling match.

“Okay, winner of this round takes home the big prize!” yelled Newt.

Mako’s eyes brightened. “There’s a prize?”

“No, there isn’t,” said Newt, unapologetic. “I just wanted to make it sound even more exciting than what’s already at stake. Herc’s future is in the balance and both your reputations so this is not the time to pussyfoot around! Ready? Go!”

It was another close one and, according to Raleigh, he should have won it in the end if Mako hadn’t thrown a curveball and slid her foot up his calf causing him to nearly jump out of his skin.

As soon as Raleigh’s fist hit the table Mako leapt up and high-fived Tendo, the two of them whooping loudly. Raleigh sat stunned, not because he lost but because he hadn’t expected her to do… _that_.

“Mori defeats Becket, two to one! Mori takes the championship!” Newt shouted with delight.

“Son, I know ya consider yerself a gentleman but that was no time to be a good sport,” said Herc, shaking his head.

“Newt didn’t say we had to play fair so I played dirty,” chirped Mako innocently, clearly very happy with herself.

“All right, all right, but just so you know,” Raleigh warned. His leg was on fire. “I’m going to get you back for this.”

Hermann returned with several bottles of wine which Herc eyed with silent dismay, plainly considering it another downturn in his fortunes.

“What did I miss? Nothing earth-shattering, I assume. Did Miss Mori beat Mr. Becket?”

“Yes, unsurprisingly -”

“Was no one beside Herc rooting for me?”

“- and we’ve also come to the conclusion that you,” said Newt eagerly, bouncing on the balls of his feet. “Should go up against Herc!”

“Oh, don’t be preposterous.”

“Mate, I’m ready to fight ya on the basis of bringing wine back ‘ere but I’ll settle for an arm wrestle.”

“What did you just say?” Hermann sounded affronted. “The bar has passably good vintages in stock and I personally selected each of these bottles. Now, Mr. Hansen, I’m afraid I have to pull you up on this because I consider wine to be far superior to any kind of beer, especially the swill you drink.”

“Yeah, nah, I prefer the swill.”

Raleigh, Mako, and Tendo looked on with interest as the two men glared daggers at each other from across the room. Newt said quietly, “Wait for it, wait for it…”

“Right!” Hermann pushed his sleeves up and started angrily unscrewing the cork from a bottle. “For the honour of wine, I will take you up on that arm wrestle, Mr. Hansen!” The cork came out with a pop and Hermann, without letting it breathe (thus, totally disregarding the proper way to drink wine), grabbed an empty glass, sloshed a large amount of Shiraz into it, and proceeded to down it in one.

“Past behaviour is the best predictor of future behaviour,” said Newt, triumphant. “Settle in for a show, guys.”

Raleigh couldn’t see how it could last very long since Herc was a burly man and Hermann was quite the opposite but if he had learnt anything from his match with Mako it was a mistake to underestimate small people with determination.

Several nail biting minutes later, Hermann emerged victorious with thunderous applause from the group. It seemed he was a force to be reckoned with when fueled by wine and rage.

“Won fair and square. Good game, mate.” Herc stuck out a large hand and for a heart-stopping split second Hermann just looked at it. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when he shook it heartily.

“It was a pleasure, sir,” said Hermann, smiling warmly. “Let us just agree to disagree.”

“Nothin’ I’d like to do more.”

“Hermann, can I try some of that - what is it called? Shiraz?” Mako asked enthusiastically. She seemed to have forgotten her embarrassment over the Flush that coloured her complexion. “Do you want some, Raleigh?”

“Silence in the room, please, silence in the room!” Newt announced. “The time for fun and games is over. The baton has passed to me once again and it’s my duty to raise the bar on what has, frankly, been a dubious night for song selections so far, I’m really quite disappointed. Yes, your eyes are not deceiving you.” He scrolled to the letter ‘N’ in the artist section. “My reputation as a rockstar will be cemented tonight!”

Everyone let out a collective groan as Newt paused on  _[Photograph](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3rXdeOvhNE)_  by Nickelback.

“Flamin’ ‘ell,” said Herc wearily. “Son, yer not a rockstar, yer off ya rocker.”

“What?? I’ll have you know their back catalogue is being critically reappraised!”

“Reappraised from what? Bad to worse?” Mako aimed a cork at Newt’s head. Raleigh snorted into his wine.

Newt prided himself on his music taste and tonight was really eroding the image he had built.

“I’m gonna prove you guys all wrong,” said Newt, nodding vigorously, pointing at each of them accusingly as he snatched the microphone up and waited for the song to start.

“You have no idea how many times I have had to put up with the awful lyrics of this band,” said Hermann. He didn’t look in the least surprised at Newt’s choice. “The incessant bleating…”

Newt began, doing his best impression of the gruff vocals which Raleigh thought sounded more like a strangled cat.

“ _Look at this photograph_ …”

-

10:40 p.m.

Despite Herc’s strong disdain of wine, he managed to drink more glasses than most of them. His usually steady and stern character turned, if not raucous, into what could be called extremely animated. For the past hour, in addition to his increased speaking volume, the man’s already prominent Australian brogue grew steadily thicker and sprinkled with words and phrases that the others had trouble making sense of.

Herc went to pour himself more wine and found the bottles empty. “Aw, the grog’s all gone! I’ll be back fellas, just gonna nip out and grab us a coupla cold ones.”

“So, you’ve seen this before?” Raleigh asked Tendo, as soon as Herc was out of earshot.

“Oh, yeah, several times but not in ages,” said Tendo, continuing to braid Mako’s hair. “He was always the life of the party before seniority forced him to stop mingling with us plebs.”

“How long have you known him for?” Mako sat cross-legged facing Raleigh on the lounge as Tendo did her hair.

“Let’s see… I joined the PPDC in twenty-sixteen and Herc and his brother were two years ahead of me in the Academy so close to ten years. We saw a lot of each other when we had time off - parties, you know. I didn’t see him much again until we were both stationed in Anchorage.” He finished with Mako’s hair. “All done! I don’t have any elastics so you’ll just have to feel it and take my word that I’m great at french braids.”

Mako carefully patted the side of her head and looked at Raleigh. “How does it look?”

He leaned in closer to get a better angle. “Very pretty,” Raleigh declared. Mako beamed. “I didn’t know you could do this, Tendo.”

“A man’s gotta have some tricks up his sleeve,” he laughed. “Alison taught me, you know.”

“Will you teach me?” Mako rearranged her hair as the strands fell back into place after Tendo let them go. Raleigh missed the sight of her ear already.

“Sure, come by LOCCENT any time. There’s hardly anything happening there nowadays.”

“Jeez, I’m dry as a dead dingo!” Herc pronounced loudly when he came back bearing a laden tray of mugs full to the brim with golden liquid, their heads threatening to spill over. “All right, have at ‘em, fellas.”

“I have no idea what he’s talking about, the man speaks in riddles,” Hermann remarked with perplexity. He picked up a mug and took modest sips from it which caused Herc some consternation.

“Aw, c’mon Hazza, that's not how ya drink beer,” said Herc as he finished swallowing his own large mouthful. He had already drank half of his mug. “Ya supposed to scull it!”

“I'm sorry, Mr. Hansen?” Hermann blinked.

“‘Hazza’. He called you ‘Hazza', Hermann,” said Newt, imitating Herc's accent. “I think it suits you! This is brilliant, Herc!”

Hermann had failed to prevent Newt from calling him by his first name in public and Raleigh didn’t see how he could stop ‘Hazza’ from being used at inopportune moments in the future.

“Here, I’ll show ya.”

They all watched Herc empty the mug, his throat working rapidly as the remaining liquid disappeared from sight. He leapt up onto the lounge and roared incoherently with arms outstretched as Mako clapped loudly.

“Ta, mate,” said Herc, thanking her. “Oi! Why don’t we have a beer chuggin’ contest? You yobbos could learn a thing or two.”

“Who’re you calling yobbos?” said Raleigh, laughing. “And what does that even mean?”

“You lot!”

Herc conceded a practice session in which he went around giving helpful tips on their technique. It turned out Raleigh was the worst of them all, which didn’t come as a shock to him since he had performed miserably at everything so far tonight.

They stood in a circle, holding their full mugs at the ready. Herc started the countdown. “One, two, three, scull!”

Everyone was out of the starting blocks at full speed but as the glasses steadily tilted upwards, Raleigh began to lag behind and, peeking out of the corner his eye, he could see Newt and Tendo were also having trouble keeping up. It was a three horse race between Hermann, Herc, and Mako. Raleigh gave up to watch them and so did Newt and Tendo.

“C’mon, Hazza! Don’t let me down! I got a lot riding on this! My car, my house, a family to support - three kids to be exact - and a dog, can’t forget the dog. Several doctorates to pay off. C’mon, my man, you can do it!”

Newt’s exaggerated encouragement seemed to do more harm than good. Hermann spluttered at the word ‘car’ and was beyond recovery at ‘three kids’. Between coughs, he choked out, “Newton, your gabbling is insufferable.”

“Only trying to help, my friend,” said Newt amiably, banging Hermann on the back.

Now it was a dead heat between Herc and Mako.

“Chug chug chug chug!” they all shouted, stamping their feet.

Mako thrust her empty mug into the air a split second before Herc declared himself and the room erupted into noise.

“Oh my god, oh my GOD.”

“I knew it!”

“My word, incredible!”

“YES!”

Raleigh grabbed Mako’s hand, Herc did the same on her other side, and they both lifted her arms into the air like she was the winner of a boxing title fight.

The cheering finally subsided and, in the relative quiet compared to the last minute, Mako and Herc released a long and loud belch that left the room in shocked silence before they all fell about giggling uncontrollably.

“What a ripper,” Herc gasped eventually, clutching his stomach.

“You’re amazing, Mako,” said Raleigh, still chuckling. “So are you, Herc.”

“Thank you, Raleigh,” said Mako mock-seriously. “But I already knew that.” She broke into a wide smile and then another peal of laughter.

“Wow, you get cocky when you drink,” observed Raleigh archly. Whilst Mako excelled in everything she did sober or drunk (her sense of modesty disappeared, however), he, almost comically, became incapable of nearly anything requiring skill when he consumed alcohol.

“By Jove,” said Hermann. “The last time I laughed so much was when Newton got himself trapped in a kaiju specimen tank. Marvellous day.” He reached for the remote and started flicking through songs.

“That day was not marvellous, Hermann,” retorted Newt, slumping onto the lounge. “It reeked in there.”

“Two love songs in a row now, brother,” remarked Tendo. “Is Newt rubbing off on you?”

They all looked at what Hermann had chosen to sing next. It was Maroon 5’s _[She Will Be Loved](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIjVuRTm-dc)_.

“Perhaps,” said Hermann sheepishly and shuffled his feet. “All right, since we Drifted I’d say we exchanged approximately twenty-two percent of each other’s habits, another twenty percent is because I spend so much of my time in his company that it is natural that I simply assimilate them!”

Everybody stared.

Newt took a swig of some leftover beer. “Dude, you are so obvious.”

“Enough talking!” yelped Hermann, fidgeting with his shirt hem. “It’s about to begin.”

“You’re the one who was babbling, Hermann.”

The man scowled at Newt. The rest of them exchanged amused glances at each other as the first lines came onto the screen.

“ _Beauty queen of only eighteen…_ ”

-

11:10 p.m.

The combined business of singing karaoke and drinking inevitably leads to a craving for snacks, especially of the greasy kind. They had already ordered a few items from the bar but their energy was flagging again. With the street food stalls of Hong Kong so near, however, their options suddenly widened exponentially.

“Ooh, I really want some of those mini cheesy sausages right now,” moaned Mako.

“I could go and get some,” Raleigh suggested. “They’re right downstairs.”

“In that case, could you get me some braised offal? Thanks,” piped up Newt.

“The fried kind for me, thank you, Mr. Becket.”

“Egg waffle, son, much appreciated.”

Raleigh hadn’t expected everyone to pile on him like this but he was hankering for a bowl of curry fish balls himself and he had a favourite stall that was tucked away into a side street.

“Okay, any other orders?” Raleigh looked pointedly at Tendo.

“Hmm, I’m feelin’,” he feigned thought, taking his sweet time. “Yeah, takoyaki. Thanks, Becket Boy.”

Mako touched Raleigh’s arm and mouthed, “Sorry” as he passed her on his way out and, even though her fingers left a trail of warmth in their wake, he thought the broad grin on her face rather defeated the purpose of the apology.

“It’s your fault,” he mouthed back, pretending to be petulant.

He collected first the foods that were least likely to be ruined by sogginess in a paper bag, like the offal and the curry fish balls. Then he bought the egg waffle, takoyaki, and sausages, and headed back up to the bar as fast as he could. He may be useless at arm wrestling and beer chugging but no one could fault him on optimal street food gathering.

“I’m back!”

He stepped into the room and saw bodies strewn across flat surfaces. He hadn’t been gone long but apparently it had been enough to dwindle their remaining power reserves. The smell of food wafted across them and bodies started to stir.

“Mate, we almost carked it waiting fer ya to come back,” mumbled Herc and reached for his egg waffle.

“You’re a lifesaver, Raleigh,” Mako said, removing a sausage from its skewer.

“I was only gone fifteen minutes.” He peeled the lid off his foam cup and inhaled the fragrant, funky scent.

“I think I was having one of those dreams where everything turned into food,” slurped Newt around pieces of beef innards.

They ate in contented silence and watched Herc absentmindedly scroll through the song list while he took bites out of his waffle.

“Maaaate, I remember this song!”

“Oh my god, not the goddamn glockenspiel,” said Tendo, closing his eyes and hanging his head.

“It’s actually a xylophone,” corrected Newt.

“I oughtta pay ya back for makin’ me sing that bloody awful song earlier, mate,” said Herc. He finished his snack, smacked his lips in relish (from the waffle or the impending torture by xylophone he was about to inflict on Tendo, Raleigh wasn’t sure), and dusted the crumbs off his hands. Herc made a dramatic show of clicking onto _[Somebody That I Used To Know](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UVNT4wvIGY)_.

“I don’t think I know it,” said Mako slowly as she listened to the opening instrumentation.

“Trust me, you won’t forget it anytime soon. Or ever,” warned Tendo.

“ _Now and then I think of when we were together_ …”

Herc and Gotye were both Australian but hearing Herc’s strongly accented voice, normally quite gravelly and made hoarser from the night’s shouting and drinking, softly singing that opening line sent them into gales of laughter once again.

“Rack off, fellas,” said Herc into the microphone, smiling.

-

11:30 p.m.

They were on a sugar high from cocktails and in the midst of a very shouty game of Pictionary improvised with paper napkins and a temperamental pen. Raleigh thought he might have had one too many of the fruity drinks because he found himself on his feet, completely on edge with tension and concentration as Mako drew on her napkin. Their one minute was about to end and Raleigh had no clue.

“Ah - tiger!” he yelled.

Mako shook her head and continued to draw.

“Ah aah ah, lion!”

Mako’s eyes widened to indicate he was close. She drew another animal that had tusks.

“What is that? Um… what? Ah, boar! Warthog! And a lion? Ummm…”

“Beeeeeep!” beeped Newt.

“Your time has elapsed, Mr. Becket,” said Hermann crisply.

“The Lion King, Raleigh!”

“Oh my god, I’m sorry, Mako,” he said. Well, he could add Pictionary to the growing list of things he was hopeless at when drunk. “I swear, I nearly had it. It was on the tip of my tongue!”

“Brother, she even drew a crown.”

“We came second. It wasn’t a total disaster, Raleigh,” consoled Mako, unconcerned. She was able to guess what he drew from a few scratches of the pen; their time in the Drift was probably a factor but it didn’t explain why he couldn’t do the same. They also weren’t last because Newt and Hermann couldn’t finish a round without descending into bickering.

Tendo tossed him the remote. If there was one thing he _was_ good at (apart from buying street food) it was karaoke. Raleigh had bided his time since Mako destroyed him in their arm wrestling match but he wasn’t sure if the original intent to embarrass her with a song dedication was the sole reason for his revenge anymore. If he was being honest with himself, choosing Backstreet Boys’ _[As Long As You Love Me](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Gl2QnHNpkA)_  was a completely sincere dedication and probably why he thought of it in the first place.

“Fuck it,” Raleigh said to himself. He was going to do it, teasing from the guys be damned.

He clicked onto it, heart racing from sugar and nerves, turned his back on the ridiculous music video to look her right in the eye, and announced, “This is dedicated to Miss Mako Mori.”

At this, everything from wolf whistling to high pitched squealing (emanating from Newt) assaulted Raleigh’s ears but he was still looking at Mako, whose face lit up like a thousand watt light bulb before she hid it behind her hands.

“ _Although loneliness has always been a friend of mine…_ ”

She was an island of stillness amidst chaos. The others had gotten to their feet to do a little sidestepping and head bopping in imitation of what was happening in the video but Mako continued to sit with her face in her hands. He was starting to feel worried until he reached the chorus when she looked up, biting her lip, appearing like she was trying to keep a straight face but thoroughly failing to.

Encouraged, and with his own team of backup dancers and vocalists, Raleigh serenaded Mako with the saccharine lyrics.

“ _I don’t care who you are_

_Where you’re from_

_What you did..._ ”

By the last chorus, Newt, Hermann, Herc, and Tendo were singing as passionately along as Raleigh was, arguably giving their best performances of the night.

He offered an outstretched hand towards her.

“ _As long as you love me…”_

She took it.

“ _Who you are…_ ” (“Who you are,” the others echoed.)

He pulled her up to dance among them, her hand still in his.

“ _Where you’re from…_ ” (“Where you’re from.”)

And he swung her around, both of them giggling, until the last line.

“ _As long as you love me_ ,” Raleigh sang to Mako who shook her head and rolled her eyes with a big grin on her face. He made his voice go up and down dramatically, prompting more laughter from everybody.

Cheers and applause broke out; he took a bow and returned the praise because the effort they displayed just then was truly admirable.

“That was so sweet,” said Newt, his eyes brimming with tears.

“Indeed. Bravo, Mr Becket!” said Hermann, pulling out a handkerchief for Newt.

Raleigh caught Mako’s eye and there was no doubt the tug on his heart was imaginary - or perhaps it was arrhythmia - no, it was definitely because her eyes were sparkling with delight and they were just now directed at him, and before he knew it she went to her tippy toes, pecked his cheek, and continued clapping, beaming at everybody. He temporarily saw stars.

Raleigh was still too dazed to do anything but stand there when Tendo asked him, “Where’d you get those moves from, Becket Boy?”; but broke out in a sweat when Herc exclaimed, “Son, that was one helluva show. Hey, where’s Mako - what did the lady think of it?” even though she had just kissed him.

“Very impressive. I thank Raleigh for dedicating it to me,” she said. She mouthed her thanks when Hermann handed her a fresh cocktail and took several sips through her straw before she went on. “And I accept his challenge.”

“Challenge? There was a challenge?” Newt was bewildered.

They looked from Mako to Raleigh, confused, and Raleigh himself was at a loss for a moment until he realised that her competitive nature would not and could not let him have the last word. By his song dedication he had unknowingly thrown down the gauntlet and she was taking it up with a few modest sips of her lychee daiquiri.

“I look forward to it,” he said, playing along. Keeping his eyes locked on hers, he bowed his head slightly with one corner of his mouth hitched up. She returned the gesture and he recalled their very first meeting which was not unlike the one that just passed. Keeping the other on their toes was a habit.

-

12:00 a.m.

Mako let Raleigh sweat. She let them all sweat for half an hour while they sang song after song. When Raleigh had first told her of tonight she was hesitant, relenting only when he said she could just watch if she wanted but, in the end, she couldn’t just sit. Though she sang the least times out of all of them, in mere hours she had built a reputation of choosing the best songs, killing it, and completely debunking her own claim of not being ‘any good’.

There was a hush as Mako finally asked for the remote. The anticipation of seeing Raleigh getting his ass kicked was almost palpable in the air.

They watched eagerly as she scrolled through possible choices. On some she paused a little longer and elicited comical oohs and aahs from her audience. Mako was playing with them and, more specifically, him, Raleigh was certain of it. The effect of alcohol allowed her less humble self to emerge; sobriety and humility faded to reveal a kind of confidence that was different from her usual, quiet self-assurance.

The scrolling stopped. The image of a woman riding a horse, back to the camera, long hair flowing, filled the screen and the alternating beat of a bass and snare drum was almost drowned out by the type of noise that would be more suited to a sporting event. Recognising Beyoncé’s _[Run The World (Girls)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBmMU_iwe6U)_ , Newt, Hermann, Herc, and Tendo jumped to their feet cheering like their favourite football team had scored a goal. Raleigh was screwed.

“Raleigh, mate,” shouted Herc over the ruckus. “You’re screwed!”

“Yeah, I know!” Raleigh yelled back. After waiting impatiently for half an hour, it was a relief to acknowledge Mako had all but won their little in-competition of the night. Now he could relax… or perhaps not.

“ _Girls! We run this mother (yeah)_

 _Girls! We run this mother (yeah)..._ ”

Mako, with hands on hips and holding the microphone, was bouncing her shoulders along in perfect time with Beyoncé’s even though she wasn’t facing the video. Newt, Hermann, Herc, and Tendo were trying their best to keep up.

“ _Who run the world? Girls…_ ” (“Girls!”)

The dance choreography got more complicated as the song progressed but Mako was copying the singer move for move. Raleigh’s eyes kept flicking back and forth from the screen to Mako, checking for inconsistencies between the two women but they were in perfect sync. He sat glued to his seat; he hadn’t known she could dance let alone this well.

“ _Some of them men think they freak this like we do_

_But no they don’t_

_Make your cheque come at they neck_

_Disrespect us no they won’t…_ ”

By this point, the others were only trying for some semblance to choreographed dancing; they neither had the skill nor the sobriety to do anything else. Mako, however, was delivering the lyrics to the song’s staccato rhythm, and moving her body without hesitation to the beat, all the while observing Raleigh’s awed reaction with satisfaction.

“ _Boy, I’m just playin’_

_Come here, baby_

_Hope you still like me_

_Fuck you, pay me…_ ”

Slowly, she walked towards him.

“ _My persuasion can build a nation_

_Endless power, with our love we can devour_

_You’ll do anything for me…_ ”

Raleigh visibly gulped and this time felt something other than his heart give a tug. Mako had definitely left him in the dirt, driven at top speed with a squeal of the tyres and was over the hill by now. She gave him her widest smile.

“ _Who run the world? Girls…_ ” (“Girls!”)

Turning her back to him she returned to the others, joyously jumping up and down to the chorus while he attempted to master himself.

Ever since he stepped onto that Shatterdome tarmac, Raleigh and Mako had constantly challenged each other, their chemistry allowing them to be closely matched at every task (beer chugging excluded), trivial or significant. It was a pleasure to have a partnership like he had with her and although it remained purely platonic he had felt attraction from the moment the sweep of the umbrella revealed her small but resolute figure. He wondered, not for the first time, if she ever wanted to be more than friends.

“ _Who are we? What we run? We run the world!_

 _Who run the world? Girls!_ ” (“Girls!”)

The song finished, Mako at the front of the room with the pink of a flush in her cheeks and her chest heaving to catch her breath. Raleigh stood up and clapped, loud and enthusiastically. It felt like they had been staring at each other for an age until the sound of a body hitting the floor popped their small bubble of a reverie. Hermann had collapsed.

“Stop fussing, Newton, I’m perfectly fine,” he croaked, trying to sit up. “I simply over-exerted myself trying to keep up with Miss Mori.”

“Jesus, Hermann, you just passed out and you’re still running your mouth,” Newt complained, annoyed but clearly relieved. “You can’t handle your drink, I told you so.”

“I did not pass out, my feet just gave way!” Hermann gratefully accepted a cup of water from Mako and his walking stick from Raleigh.

“Yes, your legs were never your best asset, you lightweight,” said Newt fondly. He hauled Hermann up with Tendo’s help.

“Right, well, I think it’s time to call it a night, ya bludgers,” said Herc. “Safe to say Mako destroyed _all_ our arses. No point in keepin’ on, is it?” He gave Mako a wink and Raleigh a commiserating clap on the back as he walked out with Tendo, who flung back, “MVP, Mako!”

“Thank you!” she shouted. To Raleigh she asked, “What’s an ‘MVP’?”

“Most valuable player.”

“Oh, okay,” said Mako. “I like it.”

She was at the door and found him still standing in the same spot. She jerked her head in a _c’mon_ gesture and he moved towards her suddenly conscious of her eyes watching him, assessing him. He was suddenly conscious of the way he walked, swaggering and bowlegged (he might have exaggerated it a bit in his years piloting with Yancy but it was nothing in the way he thought of himself, it was just a product of where and how he grew up); the way he was dishevelled beyond belief (his shoelaces trailing and curry sauce drying on his sweater); and the way his face was probably an open book right now (he never got the hang of poker). He had experienced her piercing gaze before and felt his insecurities exposed, wondering what she saw in him. But then he remembered they had had one of the highest Drift compatibilities ever. They had seen each other’s earliest memories and deepest thoughts, came out the other end and were still friends. He must be okay then.

Raleigh reached the door and Mako was still staring at him.

He was starting to think his brief moment of self-reflective crisis was for nothing. “Have I got something on my face?” he asked.

She blinked and the penetrating gaze disappeared. “No, just that look that says you’re overthinking things.”

“I have one of those?” Oh god, that means he probably has a thinking-about-Mako-Mori look, too, thought Raleigh.

“It’s never good to overthink things.”

They were face to face in the small doorway and, in the room’s dimness, he was close enough to see that she was also in a state of rumpledness that he found so irresistible he asked, a little breathily, “Can I kiss you?”

In his tipsy state, he took a longer than usual time to process the expression on her face. It was something akin to “finally, you big blond dope” and he only just had the time to feel hopeful when Mako kissed him, softly, lingering. She drew back a little but he closed the space again quickly, capturing her mouth with his, and hands gripping her waist. Her lips were a little chapped but so were his and he tasted a sweetness, that he guessed was from the cocktails, as he ran the tip of his tongue along her bottom lip. This was the first time they’d ever been this close, physically; him with his back against the doorjamb and her body flush against his, kissing ferociously.

They eventually broke apart to breathe, Raleigh’s hands still under Mako’s shirt, warm against her back. She took a moment to catch her breath and then said seriously, “We should get some ice cream.”

It was a strange thing to say after a thoroughly enthusiastic make-out session and even though Raleigh wouldn’t mind, eating ice cream wasn’t really a priority right now. Nevertheless, he agreed, “Yeah, let’s -”

“Then go back to my room.”

“Oh.” Raleigh hadn’t expected that.

Mako had been making a bird’s nest of his hair the past few minutes and he obligingly stood still while she tried her best to smooth it back down.

“Yes, definitely, good idea,” he said. Suddenly, ice cream seemed like the most natural thing to be thinking about. “What flavour are you gonna get?”

**Author's Note:**

> I tried to keep this as canon as possible but I did make Newt and Hermann go to college together and tweaked how the Academy works just a little bit.  
> I had a blast writing this, I hope you did reading as well!  
> PSA: I do not share Newt's passion for Nickelback even ironically.


End file.
